E-cigarettes not advisable for smokers – DOH

MANILA, Philippines - Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), increasingly popular among young Filipinos, are not advisable for those who want to quit smoking, the Department of Health (DOH) warned last week.

Anthony Leachon, DOH consultant for non-communicable diseases, e-cigarettes could not help a person who wants to stop smoking.

“Electronic cigarettes are not advisable since you don’t kick the habit. You can easily go back to smoking,” said Leachon.

He said if a person wants to quit but can’t do it on his own, he should consult a doctor for proper counseling and medication.

Maricar Limpin, executive director of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines, has expressed concern over the proliferation of e-cigarettes.

Limpin warned that e-cigarettes give a false sense of security because these are being marketed as something that would help one quit smoking “when, in fact, there is no evidence to prove that.”

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First developed in Beijing, the e-cigarette is an electronic device that looks like the real thing. By producing an inhaled mist, it supposedly simulates the act of tobacco smoking.

But Limpin said the e-cigarette is also addictive because the liquid used to produce vapor contains nicotine.

“E-cigarettes are being flavored to cover the (taste of nicotine). So you would think that there’s no nicotine in it until you develop addiction,” she said.